My Secretary of State — President Obama is assembling his new national security team, with Senator John Kerry possibly heading for the Pentagon and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice the perceived front-runner to become secretary of state. Kerry is an excellent choice for defense.

Make Up Turned Break Up — Are the Republican senators unreasonable? Or is the secretary of state-manqué undiplomatic? Did the senators sandbag Susan Rice? Or did Rice further inflame a tense situation? Is it a case of shooting the messenger and playing politics?

Cole: Join with Obama on quick deal — Republican Rep. Tom Cole urged colleagues in a private session Tuesday to vote to extend the Bush tax rates for all but the highest earners before the end of the year — and to battle over the rest later. — The Oklahoma Republican said in an interview …

Erickson considering challenge to Chambliss — Popular conservative blogger and radio personality Erick Erickson said Tuesday he was considering a primary challenge to Sen. Saxby Chambliss after a host of political bigs had approached him about staging a bid of his own in the days since …

In U.S., Majority Now Against Gov't Healthcare Guarantee — Views of healthcare system overall more positive in some respects — PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time in Gallup trends since 2000, a majority of Americans say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage.

Naked Protesters Occupy John Boehner's House Office — (Image Credit: Susan Walshe / AP Photo) — Some protesters dropped trou to launch a protest at House Speaker John Boehner's office in the Longworth House Office building in Washington. — U.S. Capitol Police public information …

How much would you pay for 1 hour with Sandra Fluke? — EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Fluke, noted advocate for government-subsidized birth control, is auctioning off one hour of her time for an online “strategy session” at the site BiddingForGood.com. — According to the auction page …

Apple Said to Fire Maps Manager as Flaws Hurt IPhone 5 — Behind Apple's iPhone Map Manager Shakeup — Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager responsible for its troubled mapping software, seeking to win back the trust of users disappointed after the program debuted in September, according to people familiar with the move.

AP EXCLUSIVE: GRAPH SUGGESTS IRAN WORKING ON BOMB — You are here — Home » Vienna » AP Exclusive: Graph suggests Iran working on bomb … VIENNA (AP) — Iranian scientists have run computer simulations for a nuclear weapon that would produce more than triple the explosive force …

Exclusive: Nokia seeks to block sale of some RIM products — Nokia wants a US court to enforce an arbitration agreement that could affect most of RIM's smartphones — Nokia has asked a California court to enforce an arbitration award that would prevent Research In Motion from selling products …

OHIO SENATE PUTS END TO ‘HEARTBEAT’ ABORTION BILL — You are here — Home » Julie Carr » Ohio Senate puts end to ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill — COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The leader of the Ohio Senate put a stop Tuesday to a bill that would have imposed the most stringent restriction on abortions in the nation.

The President is bluffing — I think the President is bluffing on his veto threat. — Conventional wisdom: To achieve his desired fiscal policy outcome (big tax rate increases on the rich), the President is willing to risk tax increases on all income tax filers.

Federal Student Lending Swells — The federal lending program designed to make college education available to everyone is creating a pile of debt so large it is fanning worries that it has become too easy to borrow too much. — U.S. student-loan debt rose by $42 billion, or 4.6% …

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